Wednesday, December 12, 2012

(Charleston, South Carolina) In February 2012, Grace Trotman pleaded guilty for her part in the death of two-year-old Rodricus Williams. Trotman was sentenced this week.

Grace Trotman sobbed inside a packed downtown Charleston courtroom Tuesday as she described how her deep-seated fears of an abusive boyfriend drove her to help him cover up the death of his 2-year-old son.

The toddler’s mother, Shaneka Washington, listened and cried in the front row of the courtroom as Trotman apologized for taking part in hiding the body of Rodricus Williams in a trash can full of concrete.

Trotman, 27, expressed regret over never telling Washington that the man they had both dated, Roger Williams, beat Rodricus, hoping to “man him up,” until it led to his death in 2010.

“I love you no matter what,” Trotman told Washington. “You will always have a place in my heart, as well as Rodricus.”

Trotman told the court she was terrified of Roger Williams, 31. She said he spent four years beating her, and she felt no choice but to obey him when he drew her into the plot to dispose of Rodricus’ body.

Circuit Judge Markley Dennis sentenced Trotman to 15 years in prison. With credits, she could get out in 12.